ABERDEEN-L Archives

Archiver > ABERDEEN > 2006-08 > 1155722916


From: Danu Summerville <>
Subject: Towns and named locations [was: Premnay OPR]
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:08:36 +1000
References: <000b01c6bcd4$1abb50d0$0100000a@intel> <44E176EB.7000001@oceandrop.org> <002301c6c079$3ac34790$1b6fe604@yourd9e47c800b> <44E236FA.3080401@oceandrop.org> <006901c6c0bb$09e50860$1b6fe604@yourd9e47c800b> <44E28BC5.80807@oceandrop.org> <005701c6c116$1a89af30$0201a8c0@LAPTOP>
In-Reply-To: <005701c6c116$1a89af30$0201a8c0@LAPTOP>


Hi Ray,

Thanks again. It's great to have the current Scots fill in the gaps for
the hereditary ones in distant places. Personally I've seen enough
photos of the actual area to realise that town like Auchleven, (the
*main* town in Premnay) look like they have less than 30 buildings. Not
quite as bad as some of the places named on maps of WA, but a lot less
populated than much of Europe.

I do have a question, though. While I know "towns/villages" are small,
how big are some of the named properties. And example, the OPR refers to
Patrick MACKIE having a daughter in 1718. He is living in Neitherhall
(which I can't find on the current map). Two years later John LEDINGHAM
of Neitherhall had a child. Likewise, Patrick MACKIE was listed as
having children in Miln of Bairns (now Mill of Barns) in 1719 and 1721,
and David MACKIE had a child there in 1722. Likewise James ROSS is
recorded as being "of Mains of Licklyhead" to 1720, and John MACKIE
after that.

What is the likely scenario? Were they living together as extended
families, or were there likely to have been a few families who lived in
associated buildings in a place? And if it is a case of moving,
typically, how often did people move?

Danu

Ray Hennessy wrote:
> Hi again Danu
>
> Another brief explanation for far-away Listers.
>
> Gavin and I are working on a project to identify all the placenames on
> 1832, 1896 and 2000 maps of Banffshire. So far - we are about half
> way - we have found six places called "Kirktown" or "Kirktown of
> ...". There will be more! None has more than five or six homes.
>
> You may not be aware, from the other side of the world, that few of
> these places can be called a "town" in the general
> meaning of the word, in terms of transport, commerce, local
> government, etc. Often they will only have three or four homes
> associated with them, and sometimes only one!
> Occasionally there is a small village of, say, ten to twenty houses
> and some have grown up to a full-scale community. But these aren't
> usually still called "Kirktown".
>
> My dictionary has a one early definition [classified as "esp Sc & OE"]
> of "town" as a piece of enclosed land or a holding. It also can be a
> building [or group of buildings] on that land, or a farmstead or
> homestead on that holding. I know this is more in line with rural
> American definitions [such as "City of ..., population 26" :-) ] and
> may be true of Antipodean ones but is, I believe, quite different from
> the "normal" meaning in Europe, apart from these Scottish town/touns,
> of course.
>
> Sorry to be pedantic but I've had many chats with far-flung "Scots"
> who were unaware of the tiny scale of these "towns".
>
> Best wishes
>
> Ray H



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